Mayor Jim Ardis has invited a group of local business and education officials to travel with him to the southern African nation of Botswana in February. Both the trip and discussions about a sister-city arrangement are so preliminary that neither the itinerary nor the guest list has been finalized.

The visit evolved from the mayor's relationship with Botswana's ambassador to the United States, Tebelelo Mazile Seretse, who visited Peoria twice last year, first for an Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce conference and later for an Easter Seals fundraiser.

"We had a mutual interest in learning more about each other," Ardis said, "and it grew into a discussion about the potential of us forming a sister-city relationship."

Seretse invited Ardis to bring a Peoria delegation to her country.

Botswana, a landlocked country about the size of Texas, is home to some of the world's largest diamond mines, part of the Kalahari desert and an inland delta teeming with wildlife. Known as one of Africa's most stable political and economic systems, the country has aggressively marketed its manufacturing and tourism opportunities.

Ardis said a sister-city relationship with a city in Botswana has the potential to rival Peoria's relationship with its first sister, Friedrichshafen, Germany, in developing successful commercial, educational and social ties.

Because of the mining, Caterpillar Inc. and Komatsu already have a presence in Botswana, Ardis said. Local jewelers might be interested because Botswana's government and De Beers, the world's largest diamond producer, jointly own the country's diamond mines and, together, helped develop a process to certify the diamonds they produce are not so-called "blood diamonds," sales of which help finance several civil wars in Africa.

Botswana's high literacy rate and emphasis on higher education could promote connections with local educational institutions. Though Botswana has one of the highest rates of AIDS in the world, it is also known as a leader in AIDS prevention and treatment on the African continent.

The trip is scheduled for Feb. 18-23. U.S. citizens can stay in the country up to 90 days without a Visa. No shots are required to travel there.

And it's not an invitation-only trip. Ardis said anyone interested in joining the group can call the mayor's office at 494-8519.

______

Peoria's sister cities

Friedrichshafen, Germany

Established: 1976

Relationship: Close, includes annual student exchanges and other visits to a German city that's home to the largest Caterpillar Inc. dealership in Western Europe.